Is attention needed for word identification? Evidence from the Stroop paradigm.
One of the most robust findings in attention research is that the time to name a color is lengthened markedly in the presence of an irrelevant word that spells a different color name: the Stroop effect. The Stroop effect is found even when the word is physically separated from the color, apparently indicating that words can be read outside the focus of spatial attention. The present study critically evaluated this claim. We employed several stringent measures within a Stroop paradigm to prevent participants from attending to the irrelevant words (e.g., limiting exposure duration to prevent attention capture). Nonetheless, residual Stroop effects were obtained for both color words and semantic associates (e.g., sky to blue). These data suggest that lexical processing can sometimes occur outside the focus of spatial attention.
Lachter
Joel
J
NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California 94035, USA. joel.b.lachter@nasa.gov
Ruthruff
Eric
E
Lien
Mei-Ching
MC
McCann
Robert S
RS
D001288:Attention; D003071:Cognition; D006801:Humans; D008037:Linguistics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014796:Visual Perception; D014825:Vocabulary